Five Things to Start the School Year

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The 4th of July has come and gone once again. Each year this signals the time to start preparing myself mentally for the upcoming school year. I've begun the process of clearing the Summer Fog from my brain by listing things I need to start the new year. Part of this process involves evaluating things that I tried last school year that worked and how to make them better.  I'm going to post one of five ideas each week until the start of  year.  Without further ado here is post one of 5 Ideas to Start the School Year.

                                                        Calming Corner  

      Last year I set up a calming corner using an extra desk. I attached directions on how to use the corner in the  middle of a privacy board that sat on the desk. Items needed for the calming corner were placed in a basket or on top of the desk. I loved it! This is something I plan on using again. I tweaked my instructions after trying it for a  year.  It's nice to have a place for students to go when they need a break or are getting frustrated. It's one of those things that I wonder why I didn't try sooner.

 I liked the sand timer because not only is it quiet, it can be soothing to watch the sand flow. Another thing I liked about this corner was that the students learn some strategies for soothing themselves. They also learn that it's okay to get frustrated and what to do about it. It's not a get out of work corner. The work is not going away, but it's a good way to take a break and feel refreshed. I've included some of the things I used in the corner if you are interested in learning more about them. 

                                                                 

Back to School Tips

  Whew! I made it through the first week of school and am adjusting to having three different classes during the day.   I  wanted to follow through on my promise of another post on classroom management. The first couple of weeks of school is the time to establish routines and procedures of the class.  If the students know what is expected of them and there is consistency in daily procedures, the less behavior issues you'll have in the classroom. After this week, I'm reminded of the importance of this.

    Little things make a big impact. Take a look at simple ideas I've embedded throughout my day that make a difference in managing my classroom.

     1.  Establish Quiet Signals
           This is extremely important. Have some type of signal to indicate that you need everyone quiet and their full attention. DO NOT try to talk over your students. Wait to talk until you have the attention of all the children.
         Some ideas are...clapping a pattern that the children need to clap back, holding up the peace sign, give the high five hand signal, or a teacher call back. Teacher call backs are fun. I personally like that one. You can find many types of call backs on Pinterest. I'm excited to try some new ones this year.

     2.  Out of Seat Time
           You may not think this is a big deal, but it is. When are students allowed to get out of their seats to sharpen pencils, throw something away, turn work in, etc. in your classroom? Perhaps the easiest way for me to address this is to tell you when my students are NOT allowed to get out of their seats or walk around the room.

• Students need to stay at their desks when I'm teaching or giving some type of instructions. I know this sounds like common sense, but I can't tell you the number of students at the beginning of the year that will get up and try to sharpen a pencil right in the middle of me teaching. And my electric sharpener is loud!  They need to know from the beginning that instruction time is important and need of their full attention. 
• Also, any time announcements come on over the speaker, it is time to stay put. 

 Of course there will be exceptions to the "out of seat" rule during these times for students that need to stand or wiggle or even pace back and forth. (ADHD students, Autistic, kinesthetic learners. etc.) However, I expect all students to listen during these times. I won't budge on that.

    3. Group and Partner Work Expectations

          Not only is it important to establish rules for these situations, I found that I need to actually demonstrate how to interact with each other during this time. Model, model, model! I can't express enough the importance modeling expectations. How do I do this? Let me show you.
     Let's say I want students to work with a partner to finish two math problems. My student volunteer and I will talk it through like this.
Me: Do you want to read number one or number two?
Student: You can read first. 
Me: Okay. I read the first problem. I think the first thing we should do is.....what do you think?
Student: That's what I think.
Me: Let's both work it out and then see if we come up with the same answer.

Look at what I established as expectations for partner work with that role playing.

• How to talk to each other
• Both are expected to take a turn in leading
• Both students need to work out the problem

What if they didn't agree on the answer? I will role play that scenario also in which we talk it through. More times than not, the person that didn't have it correct will realize by talking it through. If they still don't agree then they can raise their hands for my help.

I hope these simple tips help out. You can grab a free copy of my Team and Partner Posters here.

Have a great school year!

Classroom Management 101

     I used to believe that along with the core teaching classes, there should be a class dedicated just to classroom management for undergraduates. In reality, every teacher has their own way of managing their classroom that is learned through trial and error along with tips and tricks from other teachers.
    I cringe when I think back to my first couple of years as a rookie. Yikes.  I had a lot to learn about keeping a classroom running smoothly.

Experience and good teacher mentors armed me with the skills not only to keep my classroom running effectively, but to eventually have a classroom that manages itself.
   I'm going to share with you some of the tips and tricks of classroom management I've learned over the years.  My hope is that you find something helpful you can use in your classroom.

Classroom Management Tips and Tricks

 Routine, Routine, Routine, It's imperative to establish class routines and procedures from day one.  Kids need it. It gives them comfort to know what is happening and what is expected. 

          a) Have the daily agenda posted somewhere each day. 

          b) Establish a consistent routine and place for turning in work.

          c) Keep transitions during the day running smoothly by forming clear expectations for this time. Example, call one table at a time to line up. The table that has materials put away and quiet lines up first and so on. 

Here are some questions to ask yourself to ensure that your class procedures and expectations are in place. 

• Do my students know when a good time is to sharpen their pencils and what to do if their pencil breaks if it's not a good time?
• Do my students know the rules for working in groups or partners?
• Do my students know what to do if they need help with something?
• Where can the students look to find what their homework is for the evening?
• What is my classroom procedure for packing up at the end of the day? 
• How do the students know when it's time to be quiet?

These are just a few tips. There are many tricks I have to share. In my next post I'll address the tricks I've learned for the questions above. 

Click below for a Freebie to get you started. 

Classroom Signs

Ten Pin Linky

 I've slacked on my posts since school's been out for summer.  I saw the Just Reed Ten Pin Linky and decided its time to get back in the swing. Pinterest has so many ideas that I can't possibly use them all, but I sure have fun pinning!
                                                                    

   Last week the theme was classroom decor. This week is classroom management. I'm like The Applicious Teacher in that I'm getting a late start so I'm sharing pins for both.

1.My classroom library looks a lot like this one from Smarter Than a Fourth Grader. The same color theme and baskets. So cute.

2. I learned how to make these pom poms from Pinterest and made them in my classroom theme colors.

3. Cute way to post rules for classroom management.

4. Drop box for lunch money, notes from home, etc.

5. My husband made one of these for my classroom after I pinned this.

 6. This is a cute idea for an owl themed classroom.

7. Great idea for keeping things like erasers and white board markers.

8. Group rules for classroom management.

9.  A place for children to put classroom books that need a little TLC.

10. Classroom management tool for controlling noise level.

Happy Pinning Everyone!